stuck and tired: how universities are failing disabled students (like me)
I was delighted that feminism and disability blog FWD/Forward expressed an interest in my writing about my disappointing university experience for them. Here’s a little taster. (Click “read more” to go to their site.)
You’re intelligent, personable, and get good grades. It might look like higher education is a given.
But it isn’t. Not when you have a disabling illness. Then, making it to graduation could be more challenging than you ever imagined.
Last year, I tried to finish the degree I dropped when I got ill back in 1998. The disability services department at my new university contacted me the summer before I started my course, asking what extra help I would need.
I had never been a student with disabilities before, so I couldn’t anticipate all the challenges I might face. But the system for reporting those I was aware of seemed doomed to failure: a disability advisor emailed my department in the first week of the semester to advise them that I needed my seminars and lectures to be accessible.
Inevitably, this was too late. One of my lectures was in a building with a lift that was almost always out of order, leaving me the choice of missing out or making myself ill. And my registration experience was disastrous.
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Hi Diane!
This really hits home for me right now. For the first time in my life I have been limited in my mobility due to having to have a hip replacement. At work there was a fire drill and we were all expected to walk down ten floors and to the corner of the parking lot. I was alerted the day before, but they refused to give me the time so I could arrange to be downstairs. I had had the surgery only 6 weeks before and still had trouble walking. I managed to get down the stairs, but the rest of the day was spent in agonizing pain. When I brought it up they had a meeting to discuss it and the option they came up with was that I would be escorted down the stairs if there was another drill. As if someone holding my elbow was going to make it better. I never realized before how many obstacles there can be in day to day life that are so easy for healthy people and so insurmountable for those with illnesses. On top of it all, the insensitivity with how it is handled is outrageous. I will heal and eventually this will not be a problem for me anymore, but I don’t think I’ll ever take it for granted again. I really feel for you and the trouble you have in your daily life. I applaud your courage in trying to make progress. Don’t let the jerks get you down.
Hi Nicole, thanks so much for your empathy. I’m so sorry to hear about the insensitivity you encountered — people don’t seem to realise it’s not just coping with something, it’s the after-effects on your body as well. I hope you’re healed soon, but I’m glad you’re aware of these issues now — I hope more people will be one day.
Here via the FWD retrospective week.
Can’t see how to comment there …
Just wanted to say that it is both encouraging and discouraging to hear that I’m not alone … encouraging, as my university is making me feel that my failure is my failure, when of course it is the university’s failure. Discouraging, because there are so many of us who are saying the same things. So it’s not a rare and unfortunate combination of circumstances …
Hi Pat, thanks for commenting. I’m sorry to hear you’re going through the same thing. I realised after writing about it that it is a much more common situation than I’d realised — which is some consolation, although of course means universities really need to pull their socks up. Here’s hoping…